Gulf Lawyers Union

With thank and reconciliation of Allah, the members of the bodies concerned with the care of the lawyers affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries declare the establishment of (Gulf Lawyers Union) and declare the start of the session of the board of directors and the general directorate, concerning the importance of coordination, cooperation and integration in-between, serving the common professional objectives of the lawyers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the private relations connecting them, common attributes, similar systems, and the desire for the achievement of the integration and cohesion between them in all fields for the achievement of the Union’s objectives which are briefed in:

  1. Encouragement and spread of awareness of the advocacy profession.
  2. Advancement of the advocacy profession and the achievement of the interests of the bodies that gather between lawyers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
  3. Contribution to field leads to the qualification and development of the fresh lawyers.
  4. Support and development of the professionally practicing lawyers’ performance regardless of their different specializations.
  5. Support of the cooperation and connection bases between lawyers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
  6. Cooperation with the local, regional and international entities related to the profession of advocacy.
  7. Cooperation and integration with the general secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
  8. Avoidance of interfering in the political affairs or religious disputes in addition to avoiding any matters harming the national unity.

Definition of the Union:

“Gulf Lawyers Union” is a professional corporate entity that is independent financially and administratively in addition to being non-profit. It resembles associations and individuals in the field of advocacy profession in the Gulf Cooperation Council (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, State of United Arab of Emirates and Sultanate of Oman). The main headquarter of the union is Kuwait City in the State of Kuwait and it is allowed that the union has branches in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Management of the Union:

The union has three main bodies managing its works, which are:

  1. General Assembly: It is an administrative body formed of all the members of the union that have paid the submission fees and it is specialized in the following:
    • Statement of the general policy of the union.
    • Accreditation on the annual financial and administrative report of the board of directors regarding the activity of the union.
    • Accreditation of the annual budget of the union.
    • Presenting proposals for the development of the union.
    • Assigning or reassigning of an external auditor.
  2. Board of Directors: It consists of 12 nominees by the professional associations in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries whereas each country shall candidate two members for its representation, and the board is specialized in the following:
    • Putting the internal regulation, financial regulation, membership regulation, branches regulations and other regulations related to the organization of the activities and programs of the union.
    • Accreditation of the charter of ethics of the profession of advocacy in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
    • Following the general policy, which the general assembly has put for the union through putting an annual program for all the activities of the union.
    • Formation of the permanent and temporary committees necessary for the completion of work.
    • Selection of the executive office’s members of the union.
    • Writing the annual reports of the activities of the union and then delivering them to the General Assembly.
    • Putting the proposal of the budget and the conclusive accounts.
    • The board of directors has the right to grant honorary membership to individuals it deems contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the union through his distinctive efforts in the support of the union’s development.
  3. Executive Office: it is the executive body that is headed by the general secretariat and it executes and follows the resolutions of the board of directors, whereas the executive office is specialized in the following:
    1. The execution of the annual work program that has been set by the board of directors for the execution of the activities of the union.
    2. Activation of the ethics chart of the profession accredited by the union.
    3. Provision of the necessary data each three months for the activities of the union and delivering it to the board of directors.
    4. Management of the money and assets of the union in addition to opening and management of different bank accounts according to what is prescribed by the board of directors.
    5. Any other works authorized by the board of directors to the executive office.

Joining the Union:

The member who desires to join the union should be a national of any of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and he should be licensed to practice the profession of advocacy at any of these countries and this includes lawyers under training.

All the members are equals in rights and obligation in the range of the provisions of this system and the regulation issued by the union except for the right of the candidacy for the membership of the board of directors which is limited to the members nominated by authorities in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Any members should abide by the ethics charts of the profession of advocacy which is accredited by the union in addition to the documents that regulate the union.

Financial Resources:

The financial resources of the union consist of the following:

  1. Submissions of the members.
  2. Donations, gifts, subventions, and endowments that are approved by the board of directors.
  3. What could be obtained by other ways of revenues that are approved by the board of directors or according to what is determined by the financial regulation that does not contradict with the applicable systems in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries or the main system of the union?